The Three Intermezzi for piano, Op. 117, are a set of solo piano pieces composed by

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

in 1892. They show Brahms' interest in lullaby; in particular, Brahms told a friend that they were "three lullabies of my grief". They consist of: * No. 1 in E♭ major, ''Andante moderato'' * No. 2 in B♭ minor, ''Andante non troppo e con molta espressione'' * No. 3. in C♯ minor, ''Andante con moto'' The first intermezzo is among Brahms' most popular piano compositions. It is prefaced in the score by two lines from an anonymous Scottish ballad, "Lady Anne Bothwell's Lament", translated to German by

Johann Gottfried Herder Johann Gottfried von Herder ( , ; 25 August 174418 December 1803) was a German philosopher, theologian, poet, and literary critic. He is associated with the Enlightenment, ''Sturm und Drang'', and Weimar Classicism. Biography Born in Mohrun ...

History

Brahms composed the three Intermezzi of Opus 117 in the summer of 1892 while staying in Bad Ischl. In June of that year he asked his friend, the musicologist Eusebius Mandyczewski, to send him manuscript paper so that Brahms could "properly sketch" the three pieces. In September 1892 Clara Schumann learned of the existence of the pieces from her student

Ilona Eibenschütz Ilona Eibenschütz (24 March 1871 in Budapest, Hungary – 21 May 1967 in London, England) was a Hungarian pianist. She received her first instruction in music from her cousin Albert Eibenschütz. Franz Liszt is said to have played at a concer ...

and wrote to Brahms requesting he send them to her. He obliged her request, sending her the completed pieces on 14 October 1892.

Reception

These Character pieces were described by the critic

Eduard Hanslick Eduard Hanslick (11 September 18256 August 1904) was an Austrian music critic, aesthetician and historian. Among the leading critics of his time, he was the chief music critic of the ''Neue Freie Presse'' from 1864 until the end of his life. H ...

as "monologues", which Brahms' biographer Walter Niemann describes as "thoroughly personal and subjective" and striking a "pensive, graceful, dreamy, resigned, and elegiac note". To Niemann, the middle section of the second intermezzo seems to portray a "man as he stands with the bleak, gusty autumn wind eddying round him".

References

External links

* * , performed by Hélène Grimaud *, Pianist: Radu Lupu
Detailed Listening Guide
using the recording by Martin Jones {{Authority control Piano pieces by Johannes Brahms Compositions for solo piano 1892 compositions